CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "Mountain Stage" is moving the mountain to Scotland.
In January, before the West Virginia Public Radio show kicks off its 28th season in Charleston, some members of the show will fly to Glasgow, Scotland, for the Celtic Connections festival.
Taking the show on the road is nothing new. Each year, "Mountain Stage" records at various locations around the state and other venues along the East Coast.
Three years ago, the show did an official "Moving The Mountain" tour with performances in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, but this is the first time it has been overseas.
"It's something we've always talked about and wanted to do," said Andy Ridenour, the show's executive producer. "Discussions have come up, but nothing has ever really come of it until now."
Several months ago, local resident Terry Pickett approached "Mountain Stage" about finding a way to take the show to the United Kingdom. Pickett worked with "Mountain Stage" creative director and host Larry Groce.
"She asked us about doing a show overseas, and we told her we'd love to but we didn't have an agent," Groce explained. "We didn't really know who to talk to or how to make something like that happen."
Pickett and her husband had lived and worked in Wales for several years. She knew a few people. She could ask around.
The rest happened very quickly. By the middle of August, they were talking with Donald Shaw, the artistic director for the Celtic Connections festival.
Celtic Connections is a Scottish music and arts festival that started in 1994. The 19-day event features more than 300 concerts, workshops, talks and other events around Glasgow.
"It's a lot like FestivALL," Groce said.
As luck would have it, Shaw is very familiar with "Mountain Stage" and West Virginia. He is a member of Capercaillie, a Scottish folk and Celtic music band. The group has been a guest on "Mountain Stage," had performed several times for FOOTMAD (the Friends of Old Time Music and Dance) and even did a 1991 show at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg.
Celtic Connections also has hosted West Virginia musicians Tim and Mollie O'Brien several times.
"I think Tim goes almost every year," Groce said.
Celtic Connections, he said, was very interested in bringing the radio show over, but wasn't certain what kind of performers "Mountain Stage" would want to have on the show. While Celtic Connections is rooted in Scottish folk, it also host a lot of world music and international artists.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "Mountain Stage" is moving the mountain to Scotland.
In January, before the West Virginia Public Radio show kicks off its 28th season in Charleston, some members of the show will fly to Glasgow, Scotland, for the Celtic Connections festival.
Taking the show on the road is nothing new. Each year, "Mountain Stage" records at various locations around the state and other venues along the East Coast.
Three years ago, the show did an official "Moving The Mountain" tour with performances in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, but this is the first time it has been overseas.
"It's something we've always talked about and wanted to do," said Andy Ridenour, the show's executive producer. "Discussions have come up, but nothing has ever really come of it until now."
Several months ago, local resident Terry Pickett approached "Mountain Stage" about finding a way to take the show to the United Kingdom. Pickett worked with "Mountain Stage" creative director and host Larry Groce.
"She asked us about doing a show overseas, and we told her we'd love to but we didn't have an agent," Groce explained. "We didn't really know who to talk to or how to make something like that happen."
Pickett and her husband had lived and worked in Wales for several years. She knew a few people. She could ask around.
The rest happened very quickly. By the middle of August, they were talking with Donald Shaw, the artistic director for the Celtic Connections festival.
Celtic Connections is a Scottish music and arts festival that started in 1994. The 19-day event features more than 300 concerts, workshops, talks and other events around Glasgow.
"It's a lot like FestivALL," Groce said.
As luck would have it, Shaw is very familiar with "Mountain Stage" and West Virginia. He is a member of Capercaillie, a Scottish folk and Celtic music band. The group has been a guest on "Mountain Stage," had performed several times for FOOTMAD (the Friends of Old Time Music and Dance) and even did a 1991 show at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg.
Celtic Connections also has hosted West Virginia musicians Tim and Mollie O'Brien several times.
"I think Tim goes almost every year," Groce said.
Celtic Connections, he said, was very interested in bringing the radio show over, but wasn't certain what kind of performers "Mountain Stage" would want to have on the show. While Celtic Connections is rooted in Scottish folk, it also host a lot of world music and international artists.
Shaw seemed to be worried that the music on the show wouldn't be diverse enough, but Groce said, "Really, we were always on the same page."
"We do that kind of thing all the time - put artists from a wide range of genres on the same show."
So far, "Mountain Stage" and Celtic Connections have worked out the details for one show, on Jan. 21, but are looking at recording a second show at the festival on Jan. 23. The Jan. 21 show will feature Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie MacLean and American gospel and R&B legend Mavis Staples.
"Other acts will be added later," Ridenour said.
Discussions about those acts are ongoing, and having the radio show in Scotland changes things a bit. Being in the United Kingdom could make coming to play "Mountain Stage" more attractive to some performers who are either on tour in Britain and Europe or are unlikely to make a trans-Atlantic flight just to play one show on a Sunday.
"It's very exciting," Groce said.
Most of his and Ridenour's concerns are technical and logistical. In order to make the trip possible, "Mountain Stage" won't bring all its equipment; it will use comparable instruments and gear in Scotland. The show also will rely on a Scottish stage crew and leave most of the house crew home.
"We've had discussions about who we could bring," Ridenour said. "It's not cheap for them to bring us there."
"But there are limits to how much we can leave," Groce said. "At some point, it starts being a different radio show."
Still, Ridenour said, the show is traveling lean, and it's hardly a vacation for any of its members. The music might be fine and the Scotch warm, but it's still Scotland in the middle of winter.
The plan is to leave Jan. 19, perform and record on Jan. 21 and return on Jan. 22, unless the second show solidifies.
"Mountain Stage" has high hopes that its visit to Scotland will be a success. Its producers want to promote the show and West Virginia and maybe encourage a few other places to import "Mountain Stage."
"It would be great if this opened a few more doors for everybody," Groce said.
Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5195.
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